Monks storm briefing, accuse China of lying

[Attero Dominatus]

updated 5:59 a.m. MT, Thurs., March. 27, 2008

LHASA, China - Tibetan monks stormed a news briefing at a temple in Lhasa on Thursday, accusing Chinese authorities of lying about recent unrest and saying the Dalai Lama had nothing to do with the violence, foreign reporters said.

The incident was an embarrassment to the Chinese government, which brought a select group of foreign reporters to Lhasa for a stage-managed tour of the city, where authorities say stability has been restored since violence broke out on March 14.

The outburst by a group of 30 monks in red robes came as the journalists, including an Associated Press reporter, were being shown around the Jokhang Temple — one of Tibet's holiest shrines — by government handlers.

"Tibet is not free! Tibet is not free!" yelled one young Buddhist monk, who then started to cry.

They also said their exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, had nothing to do with the anti-government riots by Tibetans in Lhasa, where buildings were torched and looted, and ethnic Han Chinese were attacked.

The government has said the March 14 riots were masterminded by "the Dalai clique," Beijing's term for the Dalai Lama and his supporters.

good for the monks.

more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23824256/